Is it Safe to Come Out?

Hello, all.

Sorry for my recent unannounced absence. Normally if I take a few days off from blogging, I'll let you know ahead of time.

This time, however, book deadlines (two all-nighters last week), my 21-year-old son's college orientation, and Don's return from Ireland kept me off-line for several days.

And to boot, Don seems to have picked up something on the flight home: 102-degree temps and nasty, painful chest cough. Dear hubby never gets sick and never takes sick days off from work, so the fact that he's in bed watching war movies and not at work today says something about how awful he feels.

But my book is done and submitted to my editor, hubby is home (for another tens days), and college orientations are done.

So, I'm back.

The kids (canine variety) are delighted that "dad" is home. They've all returned to their usual impish selves. Except, of course, during our heat wave again of the last two days (90+ temps and high humidity). Nobody wants to do much of anything except sleep in front of the fans. They don't even want to get into the pools.

This weekend will provide a nice respite. For the July 4th holiday we're taking the kids (canine) to my family's cottage up on a spring-fed, glacier-formed lake in Susquehannah county. They'll get to swim in the cool, deep waters, and romp on the mucky, lily-pad-filled shoreline. They'll come back exhausted, but the cottage is one of the few places they get to truly swim (other than the hunt club).

We'll be sure to take lots of pictures of them leaping from the dock and swmming for retrieving dummies so you can see them in action. It's sure to be a fun weekend.

I think we all need a weekend away.

Son #1 (the 21-year-old) may stay home and man the fort here since he's not comfortable in deep water anymore (he's had a couple of full-blown seizures in the water in recent years). But youngest son and a few of his friends are tagging along. It's sure to be a busy weekend.

And Don will be with us instead of in Ireland. The dogs and I are both immensely happy about his being here. We miss him when he's gone.

'Til next time,
Joan